AP Human Geography Review Question 1

Continuing with the question reviews for the upcoming AP exams, we reivew another question for a new subject: AP Human Geography. A subject rooted in the interaction between humans and the development in nations and cultures accross the world, this AP subject covers a multitude of concepts that embody the very core of the human society. Let's review one of the sample questions we offer in a little more depth below:

Three of the largest dairy regions in the United States are in the Northeast (New York and Pennsylvania), the Upper Midwest (Wisconsin and Minnesota), and California. What explains this phenomenon?

The answer choices are:

There are more milk drinkers in these parts of the country than in other parts.

Large urban centers are located in each zone.

Industrial output is much greater due to the crops produced in these regions.

The climates are more conducive to raising dairy cattle.

The transportation systems are much better in these areas.

The answer to this question is Large urban centers are located in each zone. Now this question is all about logic...and also if you remember theVon Thünen model of agricultural land. It's a simple model that revolves around the city in the center known as the "Isolated City". This city has agricultural concentric rings surrounding it that supply goods to the inner city. This goods supplied include dairy, vegetables, fruit, wood, etc. This is because it is assumed that cities have large populations therefore the food goods must be as close to the city as possible to supply the food quickly.

For this problem, states such as New York, Pennsylvania, California, Wisconson, and Minnesotta have very large urban cities with huge populations such as New York City, Los Angeles, Saint Pual, and San Francisco. In order to provide the large demand for dairy goods due to the large population, it only makes logical sense that the largest dairy regions would be located in these areas of the United States. Though the other answers may seem have some relevancy, most are just assumptions while the urban city proximaty to agricultural providers is backed by an actual model and theory. This is why it is the best answer.